NewEnergyNews

Gleanings from the web and the world, condensed for convenience, illustrated for enlightenment, arranged for impact...

While the OFFICE of President remains in highest regard at NewEnergyNews, this administration's position on climate change makes it impossible to regard THIS president with respect. Below is the NewEnergyNews theme song until 2020.

Bagatelle-Black ends with this important caution: “The oil industry has unimaginable amounts of money at its disposal. When they spend a tiny portion of their profits trying to create the illusion that EVs are just as bad for the environment as [Internal Combustion Engine]-powered cars, countless media outlets pick up their stories. When they try to discredit the scientific community’s conclusion that our cars are dangerously warming the globe, millions of people take them seriously. It is up to every person who cares about our planet to counter these misinformation campaigns. It is up to you to spread the truth about EVs to people who have been inundated by oil industry propaganda…”

WHATBagatelle-Black: “By the end of this article, readers should understand why it is better for the environment to power cars with electricity from the grid instead of gasoline made from oil.”

WHENBagatelle-Black: “ICE: Internal Combustion Engine – The smog-belching, globe-warming automobile powerplants used in the dark ages of the 20th Century…”

WHERE- Bagatelle-Black: “The total amount of pollution reduction [from driving an EV] for any location would depend on the local power plants. Areas with cleaner power plants would decrease overall pollution more than areas with dirty plants. However, nearly all urban areas would see a major improvement in local air quality because power plants are generally located far away from population centers while tail pipes produce smog right where we live and work.”- Bagatelle-Black: “In areas where the grid is relatively “clean,” such as California and Arizona, EVs would reduce automobile-related greenhouse gas emissions by 71% or more…”

WHY- Bagatelle-Black: “According to research compiled by Sherry Boschert, author of the book, Plug-in Hybrids: The Cars that Will Recharge America, use of EVs would reduce the amount of NOx [Nitrogen Oxides – Chemicals which create smog and other health hazards] generated by automobiles somewhere between 32 and 99%. Different studies have arrived at different figures, but virtually all agree that the reduction in NOx and other local pollutants would be significant…”- Bagatelle-Black: “Greenhouse gases, on the other hand, are a serious problem whether they are produced next door or on the other side of the globe. EVs can reduce this burden on the environment as well. As is the case for smog-forming pollutants, an EV would produce absolutely no greenhouse gases if it were charged from a grid that was fueled by power plants which produced no greenhouse gases. However, EVs produce far fewer greenhouse gases even when charged by today’s old-fashioned grid. In his research paper entitled Debunking the Myth of EVs and Smokestacks, Chip Gribben concludes that EVs charging exclusively from power generated by old-fashioned, coal-burning plants would still reduce CO2 emissions by 17 to 22% relative to ICE-powered cars…”

QUOTES- Paul Scott, co-founder, Plug-In America: “Get all your cars on the grid, then clean up the grid!”- Bagatelle-Black: “If we start switching our cars to grid power right now, then they will benefit directly from advancements and improvements in renewable power generation. As fossil fuels become scarcer and more expensive, power plants using alternative energy sources will fuel an increasing percentage of our grid power demand. If we are using EVs as this transition occurs, we can keep driving along without having to rebuild our transportation infrastructure. When fossil fuels run out completely, we will be ready!”

TEXAS CAPITAL TO ROPE IN WIND

The cost of the wind energy purchase described here is very high. It would seem like a very bad investment if it weren’t being made by Austin, Texas, which has been ahead of the curve on energy and environmental issues for a long time. Austin expects the cost of fossil fuel electricity to go up so much in the next 15 years, driven by climate change-induced carbon costs and rising demand everywhere in the world, that this purchase will end up looking as smart as everything else the city’s utility has done.

“…time will tell just who fell/And who’s been left behind…” Bob Dylan sang. Yes, it will.

WHATThrough its GreenChoice program, Austin Energy funds New Energy projects and offers its customers the opportunity to incur a portion of the expense for doing the right thing by climate change and the environment through their utility rates. It recently more than doubled the amount of New Energy it can offer its customers with a big purchase of wind energy.

WHEN- The utility will begin selling the new New Energy in January 2008. It has contracted for the wind power supplies for the next 15 years.- The new supply of wind energy allows the city to meet its February 2007 “Austin Climate Protection Plan” goal of having all city facilities powered by electricity from renewable sources 4 years ahead of its 2012 objective.

WHERE- The new wind energy comes from two West Texas wind farms.- Austin Energy already sells more New Energy than any other US utility.

WHY- The utility has contracted for 225 megawatts of wind energy from the 2 windfarms.Austin Energy gets 11% of its energy from renewable sources. The city’s goal is 30% from renewable sources by 2020.- This newest GreenChoice electricity will cost 5.5 cents/kilowatt-hour. That puts the average bill at $55/month, $19/month more than a non-GreenChoice average bill.- This is the 5th batch of renewable energy the city has bought since it began the program in 2001 andit is 57% more expensive than the last (2006) batch due to rising costs in the wind energy industry. The city expects to do will with its purchase, however, over the 15 years of the contract.

BIG SOLAR FURNACE SALE

In the tradition of the nineteenth century energy giants, New Energy companies describe themselves as “vertically intergrated” if their business covers the widest spectrum of energy services from obtaining raw materials “upstream” to transforming those raw materials into consumable fuel “midstream” to serving the retail marketplace “downstream.”

Yingli Energy is such a vertically integrated company. It obtains supplies of silicon, makes solar wafers and cells and combines those into solar panels which it then can deliver and have installed for end-users. Maybe someday soon you will drive into a Yingli “service station” and drive out with a solar energy system.

QUOTES- Zarrella, GT Solar: "Yingli is a leader in the growth of solar energy production in Asia and throughout the world. Their purchase of our new DSS 450 furnace will provide up to 80% more capacity per cycle and within the same footprint of our prior generation furnace." - LianSheng Miao, Yingli Green Energy: "We have worked with GT Solar since 2002, and have built an important part of our business around their equipment. The contract will support us to ramp up our ingot capacity from current 200MW to 400MW by the end of 2008 and 600MW in 2009."

CHINA & UK TO CLEAN COAL TOGETHER

Because China's main source of electricity is coal, its stated goals to cut energy unit/GDP unit 20% below 2005 levels and cut pollution 10% by 2010 are extremely challenging.

Here’s the first irony: Given the cost of state-of-the-art “clean coal” technology right now, the huge expense could help China achieve the reduced “energy unit/GDP unit” goal - by reducing China's GDP, not by reducing energy consumption.

Second irony: Even if the technology works, it will do nothing for China’s 2010 goals since the plant won’t be operational before 2014.

Third irony: Any energy and pollution reductions that come from this technology will be more than offset by China’s projected snowballing increases in energy consumption.

Research is a vital undertaking. NewEnergyNews simply suspects that research into how to get solar and wind and marine energy costs down and production up would be more to the point.

WHY- The first phase will cost $4 million. It will entail technology models and development of sequestration sites.- Phase 2 will be research on capture and storage possibilities with the aim to choose the best option.- The 3rd phase will be construction.

QUOTES- Li Gao, director, Center for China's Agenda 21/UN sustainable development program: "The technology for capturing and storing carbon safely and effectively is developing fast and will eventually become the standard for fossil fuels…The government will help fund R&D projects to capture and store carbon in the hope of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving efficient use of fossil fuels…"- Barbara Woodward, UK deputy ambassador to China: "Developed countries should take the lead in cutting emissions and build teamwork with developing countries to tackle climate change…"

Thursday, November 29, 2007

ENERGY ALONG PARTY LINES

Headlines in the New York and LA Times, the Wall Street Journal and many other news outlets this week promised insights into congressional action on pending energy legislation but uniformly focused just on the price of gas at the pump, auto fuel standards, the ethanol scam and the future of biofuels. There is a lot more at stake in the energy bill emerging from compromise talks between House and Senate powers.

First and foremost, there must be some kind of legislated incentives for New Energy. Will the Renewable Electricity Standard (RES), requiring US utilities to obtain 15% of their power from renewable sources by 2020, stay in the package? Will the proposed compromise allowing 4% of the 15% to come from efficiency efforts get it through the Senate?

If there is no RES, there MUST be extensions of Production Tax Credits (PTCs) and Investment Tax Credits (ITCs) for New Energy. If one or the other is not included, invest in beachfront property in Greenland.

Meanwhile, below is a non-partisan look at what the 2008 presidential candidates are promising. Some candidates promise to resolve important issues at play in the pending legislation. Some just make promises:

“…The Senate recently passed a bill that would increase the average fuel economy of cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon...by 2017...Democratic candidates would go much further. Clinton would require 40 miles per gallon by 2020 and 55 miles per gallon by 2030. Edwards would require 40 miles per gallon by 2016, and Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico would require 50 miles per gallon by 2020…”

WHATThe candidates are split, mostly along party lines, and the differences have significant implications for the direction of US energy policy.

WHENVoters will begin selecting their party nominees January 3 in Iowa. The 2008 general election is just less than a year off.

WHEREThe importance to voters will be in how the nominees’ positions would affect gas and electricity prices. Democrats’ emphasis on the development of biofuels might lead to short term pump price increases. Republicans’ emphasis on more oil drilling would take years to impact supplies. Both policies would likely drive prices down in the longer run. But each plan has a flaw. There may not be adequate supplies of biofuels to sustain a downward impact on pump prices and more drilling might worsen the nation’s addiction to petroleum fuels and aggravate the burdens of climate change.

WHY- Democrats’ plans focus on cutting oil dependence and slowing climate change: repeal tax breaks to big oil, spend billions for alternatives, get more efficiencies from vehicles.- Republicans’ plans focus on producing more domestic energy: drill the oceans and Alaska, develop coal-to-liquids and biofuels.- Democrats would restrict greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with mandates for alternatives; Republicans would not interfere with market forces.- There are crossover (“blurred”) issues: Barack Obama supports coal-to-liquids (if they are from “clean” coal) and will consider nuclear. Hillary Rodham Clinton is “agnostic” on nuclear. John McCain has repeatedly opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. McCain and Mike Huckabee are the only Republican candidates to support mandatory limits on GHG emissions. Huckabee recently called climate change action a moral issue.- In general, the Republicans separate the questions of energy and climate change while the Democrats see them as linked.

QUOTES- Leo Hindery, chief economic adviser to John Edwards: "There are no short-term solutions…"- R. Glenn Hubbard, top economic adviser to Mitt Romney: "The truth is that the answer to high prices is high prices…This is one area where the public expects more from politicians than politicians can deliver."- Romney, on energy policy associated with energy policy: "Now is not the right time to raise taxes on our oil companies…While it is likely that human activity is contributing to climate change, I am not sure how much, or what we can do to significantly reduce or reverse this effect…[new mandates for renewable fuels should be] a collaborative effort between industry, scientists, and the agriculture and energy communities."

COLORADAN PROPOSES CARBON TAX

Not surprisingly, this politically unpopular tax is proposed as a ballot measure by a failed political candidate. Ironically, most economists agree a tax would be a more effective way to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. But, given adamant public opposition to any new tax measure, no candidate who still expects to run for office would propose it.

Despite its admirably provocative and progressive nature, even in Colorado this proposal faces an electorate disinclined to charge itself the price of correction, despite its concern with climate change.

Too, there are significant complexities in an emissions tax. First, what is the fair thing to do with the revenues? Second, how high does the tax need to be to curb consumers appetites? Because these questions raise such problems, many prefer a cap-and-trade system as the means to cut emissions.

And, Colorado’s governor is probably right that a single state acting alone would only handicap itself economically (in the short run). This is a national matter and needs to be handled by Washington.

What’s that NewEnergyNews is hearing? The sound of politicians running?

WHATRadford’s ballot proposal asks voters to approve a fee to energy companies for GHG emissions produced in electricity generation. The fee, Radford’s measure assumes, would be passed to consumers in their electric bills. But the revenues would be redistributed to ratepayers via sales, business, personal property and payroll tax cuts and rebates.

WHEN- Radford lost a bid for the House of Representatives in 2006- With enough signatures, the proposal could make Colorado’s 2008 ballot.

WHERE- Radford lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. - Her tax proposal would only apply to Colorado.

WHY- Radford’s proposal is sponsored by the Colorado Clean Energy Tax Shift.- Unlike many taxes, Radford’s proposed fee would not be to generate revenue for the government but to discourage consumption of GHG-producing energy. Nevertheless, revenues would be huge because consumption of GHG-producing energy is enormous. Thus, Radford’s proposal to redistribute the money.- Realizing the tax could not be handled by politicians as a legislative measure, Radford chose the ballot measure process.- Governor Ritter’s recent emissions-reduction plans did not include a tax. His spokesperson said that acting alone on this would put the state at an economic disadvantage.

QUOTES- Radford, on her carbon tax proposal: “I am somebody who is deeply concerned about the way our climate is changing…A carbon tax is the most fair and comprehensive and transparent and enforceable way of dealing with the problem…When you do that, the amount of revenue you collect becomes large, and you don’t want to remove that kind of money from the economy or expand government that much…So the best thing to do, seeing that our climate is a shared resource … is to refund the money.”- Evan Dreyer, spokesman for the Colorado governor: “A carbon tax imposed by a single state would be very difficult to administer…This is the sort of thing that should be considered only on a national scale…If demand is strong enough, emissions will still rise despite the tax…There is no guaranteed cap on emissions.”

UNRESTRAINED IN CHINA

This is a lengthy and fascinating piece, filled with local details. Here is the gist:

Despite its proclaimed intentions to cut back, China will become the world’s biggest GHG emitter in 2008. And its coal consumption is expected to double in the next 20 years.

Theoretically, the central government has control. Ironically, local officials are telling the Chinese central government the same thing the Chinese central government is telling the world: "As a less developed region, Ningxia needs time to progress and develop. We're working hard to close the gap between us and the other provinces."

Environmentalists say the central government must crack down. Yet it has not done so. Perhaps it does not want to repress economic growth. Perhaps it fears a backlash. On the other hand, it must control environmental degradation and pollution or public health will produce its own reaction.

Worst case scenario: Air and water pollution become so bad they create an emergency that FORCES cutbacks. It happened inLondon in 1952.

WHATWhen the Chinese central government required the Qingtongxia regional government raise electricity prices, local officials – fearing economic consequences - arranged for Qingtongxia Aluminum Group, the local industrial giant, to avoid higher power prices by going off the national electricity grid.

WHENThe example in Qingtongxia came after central government action in 2005 to cut consumption.

WHEREQingtongxia is in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of western China, remote from the national government’s seat in Beijing.

WHY- Qingtongxia Aluminum Group consumes 20% of the region’s industrial power and earns 10% of its GDP.- Beijing says it will cut 20% of energy use/dollar of output because energy consumption has quadrupled since 1980. So far it is cutting 1.23% and statistics are not improving.- The central government’s drive to cut energy consumption runs exactly counter to localities’ drives to grow and prosper.Visitors to the Ningxia region’s capital can literally see the unfinished quality of the city.- Beijing has in the recent past negotiated with localities, striking compromises between its goals and local needs. This year it has begun citing the localities for violations. - The next step may be to see if the violation citations can be enforced as local entrepreneurs conspire with local officials, both of whom have the same goals, to concoct technicalities and circumvent restrictions.

QUOTES- Wen Jiabao: "Understanding is not adequate, responsibilities are unclear, measures are not complementary, policies are incomplete, investment doesn't arrive, and coordination is ineffective…If these problems are not turned around, it will be difficult to achieve any obvious progress."- Ningxia industrialist, justifying local violation of central government dictates: "It's such a simple theory to say that everyone knows you make more profit growing bananas than potatoes…But how can you force people to grow bananas on land where only potatoes will grow? Ningxia is a land of potatoes, and it is our natural resources and environment that determine everything."- Lin Boqiang, director, China Energy Research Institute/Xiamen University: "To get reforms implemented, two things have to be done…One is to rate the local government's performance on compliance, and if they don't comply telling people they have to go. The other is introducing financially meaningful penalties. We haven't seen either of these yet."

ARCTIC CIRCLE WIND POWER

The supposed "nuclear renaissance" and promises of so-called “clean” coal keep grabbing the headlines but day in and day out wind and solar energy developers go on building the New Energy infrastructure of the future. Earlier this week NewEnergyNews reported on developments in Mexico and Maine. Yesterday, South Dakota and Alberta on the North American central plains. Today it’s the Arctic Circle. Coming soon: Austin, Texas, Morocco and Chile.

Aside: A 1997 wind energy installation succumbed to the harsh Alaskan winter. Wind turbine technology has come a long way in the intervening decade.

WHY- 50 delegates from NWT government and the wind energy industry, as well as local and Inuvialuit leaders, are expected at the Tuktoyaktuk conference.- Kotzebue’s population is 3500. The electric co-op has found that wind energy saves the community money, not dramatically but over time.- Reeve’s goal is to obtain 20% of Kotzebue’s electricity from wind.- The region’s dominant fossil fuel is diesel gasoline so one objective of the conference is developing a diesel-wind interface.- A 1997 trial of wind energy in the N.W.T. community of Sachs Harbour failed so another objective of the conference is to demonstrate improved turbine technology.- The February 2007 Executive Progress Report for Wind Energy Monitoring in Six communities in the NWT described wind potential for Tuktoyaktuk “sufficient for a wind farm with careful planning.”

QUOTES- Reeve: "I think most people would assume that if you put in wind that it's going to drop your costs dramatically…There isn't a huge impact … on their bills at this point, but it will increase over time…Using nature as a part of a means of power makes a lot of sense…When you deal with the extreme transportation costs we've got up here to get anything into the community, and especially fuel, that any time you don't have to bring a gallon of fuel into the community, that leaves money in the community."- Carpenter: "[We] basically try to let them know the ins and outs of wind-diesel systems…There's a lot of windy places in the N.W.T., so we have to look at the economics and see if its a reasonable thing for the N.W.T. to get involved with."

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

GOOGLE GOES GAA-GAA FOR NEW ENERGY

Is Google selflessly safeguarding earth? Sort of. But Google operates enormous data centers and needs lower electricity prices. If New Energy sources don’t produce power at lower prices, the cost will inevitably rise as climate change concerns force utilities to include the price of carbon into their rates.

Google will also own rights to any breakthrough technology its R&D funds generate. So it stands to do well by doing good in that way, too.

New Energy (wind, sun, marine, geothermal and other renewables) is inevitable because it's a game where everybody wins. That’s why Old Energy (fossil fuels and nuclear) is fighting so hard to keep it a game they win and everybody else loses. But Old Energy is only fighting the future.

WHATIn an effort to drive technological breakthroughs that will bring costs down, Google announced a project of investment in New Energy research and development it is calling "Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal."

WHERE- Few specifics have been released but partners will include innovative companies, universities and labs.- Google presently works with ESolar of Pasadena and Makani Power of Alameda.

WHY- Google uses so much electricity to run its data centers it will not state the amount. Its Mountain View facility’s solar panel project displays a continuous update of its output.- Google will own rights to technologies its R&D funds produce.- ESolar designs and builds solar thermal power plants. Makani Power is developing high altitude wind energy concepts.- Google will hire engineers to work solar thermal and geothermal concepts.Weihl says the competitive level for the price of New Energy would be 1 to 3 cents/kilowatt-hour.

WHEN- The Beluga Group’s ocean freighter Beluga SkySails sets out Dec. 15 for Houston, TX, with its first cargo, a shipment of windmills from Esbjerg, Denmark.- SkySails began with kite-propulsion systems for luxury yachts in 2001. It plans to sell kites in the general marketplace by 2008. Its goal for 2015 is to be on 1,500 ships. Stephan Wrage came up with the SkySails idea when he was 15.

WHERE- The Beluga Group is based in Bremen, Germany. - SkySails is based in Hamburg, Germany.- KiteShip Corp. in based in Martinez, CA.

WHY- SkySails flies 1,000 feet above sea level where winds are 50% stronger than surface winds. - SkySails can cut fuel consumption and GHGs 35% to 50% under optimal conditions.- The shipping industry may cause twice the GHGs of air traffic.- KiteShip Corp. has made its kites mostly for private yachts but presently plans to expand into cargo and cruise vessels.- 2 drawbacks: (1) the cost of crews to tend the kites; (2) the system doesn’t work in a head wind.- Cruise ships: impractical unless itineraries are designed according to wind conditions.

QUOTES- Beluga Group statement: "…a decrease of fuel consumption as well as a cutback of the emission of harmful greenhouse gases on sea by 10 percent to 20 percent is the expected outcome of the pioneering application of SkySails."- Barnes, Marine Engineers Review: "This could work, but there is an extra cost entailed, and it won't make much sense if the price of fuel falls back…It seems to be a practical approach, but we still need to see what the benefits and penalties will be."- Schreiner, SkySails: “[Emissions restrictions necessitate considering kite power.] This is especially the case in coastal areas frequented by cruise ships — the latest example being the United States — where more and more sanctions are being imposed to reduce emissions…" - Mathisen, Cruise Industry News: "In addition to propulsion, cruise ships also need to generate electricity for a variety of uses, from air conditioning to keeping the beer cold, which again would mean a reliable source of energy…[But given rising fuel prices] I think the need will drive innovation, and maybe the towing kite is indeed the first step in that direction."

S. DAKOTA GETS BIG WIND PLANT

Old Energy keeps warning about economic losses if the public turns away from it. New Energy keeps building more capacity, making new jobs and growing local economies.

GE Energy has, this fall, announced $1.5 billion in agreements to supply more than a gigawatt of wind energy capacity in the US and Europe. GE Energy will do $4 billion+ in wind energy business for 2008.

Think these 750 new jobs will do any good for Aberdeen’s economy? It could happen in your town.

WHATMFG broke ground on a $40 million wind turbine blade manufacturing plant that will bring 750 new jobs to Aberdeen, South Dakota.

WHENGroundbreaking was November 19. The plant is expected to be operational in 2008.

WHERE- The plant will be in Aberdeen, South Dakota.- GE Energy is based in Atlanta, GA.- MFG is based in Ashtabula, Ohio.

WHY- ADC will own. MFG will lease and operate.- The $40 million plant will build blades for GE Energy’s 1.5 megawatt turbines. It will create 750 new jobs.- GE Energy has built more than half of US wind energy capacity in 2006-07.

QUOTES- Abate, GE Energy: “GE currently has over 6,500 1.5-megawatt wind turbines in operation worldwide. By the end of 2008, we expect that number to exceed 10,000 units…The new MFG facility in Aberdeen will significantly increase the manufacturing capacity of our supply chain, as we continue to face strong demand for wind turbines in the U.S. and worldwide.” - Morrison, MFG: “Today’s groundbreaking represents a new milestone in the commercial relationship between MFG and GE Energy…We are pleased to continue supporting GE’s efforts in the wind energy industry, which is experiencing unprecedented growth around the world. We are also grateful to the team in the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and their hard work to make this happen in South Dakota.” - Governor Rounds: “We applaud MFG and GE for bringing new jobs to our region…It makes good business sense for a leader in the wind industry like GE to have its wind blades manufactured in the heart of North America’s best wind energy resource.”

CANADA GOES SOLAR WITH BIPV

Aninverteris a New Energy necessity: It transforms the current created by a wind or solar system into a current that can be sent into the grid. Grid-tied systems provide end-users the flexibility of drawing from the New Energy system when it is producing or from the grid when the sun is down or the wind is calm.

WHY- Sustainable will partner with Day 4 and Solar Wall in demonstration projects to prove the special value for BIPV of Sustainable's patented power inverter technology.- Sustainable’s SUNERGY inverter is able to handle the short low voltage module strings of BIPV systems. Typical PV panel systems have longer, higher voltage strings and are more readily handled by conventional inverters. As demonstrated by the illustrations, the Sunergy configuration allows 75% of peak power to be delivered when a panel is in shade whereas power delivery is disrupted in standard configurations.

QUOTESCarten, Sustainable Energy: "We are very pleased that Natural Resources has committed funding for these projects which may be the first of their kind in the world…Building integrated solar is where growth in the industry will come from globally, and the projects offer an excellent opportunity for Sustainable to demonstrate our advantages for building integrated solar that conventional inverter technology simply can not deliver."

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

BUSH 41 BUYS WIND

By his own description George H.W. Bush had a problem with “the vison thing” when he was in office - but he’s doing OK now!

Though some on the left would no doubt accuse the former president of greenwashing, NewEnergyNews prefers to take this as a hopeful sign that Bush 43 will be inclined to back incentives for wind energy in the upcoming energy legislation.

On the subject of the energy bill, Wall Street rumors about energy package incentives for New Energy drove solar stocks up Monday and Speaker Pelosi told Dow Jones she expects the bill to be finalized this week.

WHATThe Bushes have installed a “personal” wind turbine at their beachfront home in Maine.

WHENThe Bush home draws little extra power during the winter when the family is not usually in residence but will benefit from the extra electricity during the hot summer months.

WHEREWalker’s Point, Kennebunkport, Maine

WHY- The former President’s spokesman said the pollution-free, emission-free source of energy was installed for financial and environmental reasons. A representative of Southwest Windpower reportedly convinced Bush 41 to put in the turbine. - The Skystream 3.7 1.8 kilowatt turbine installed by All Season Home Improvement Co. is expected to generate 400 kilowatt-hours per month of electricity at average windspeeds of 12 mph. A 33-foot tower was built for the 12-foot, 3-blade rotor.- The turbine is grid-tied, feeds unused electricity back in and can draw from local sources when the power supplied from it is inadequate for the home’s needs.- The installation is expected to publicize and greatly benefit small wind installations.

QUOTES- Appleby: "After looking at the specifications, the pros and the cons, [President and Mrs. Bush] decided that they'd give [the wind turbine] a try…"- Grieg, the installer: "When [the former President] comes up [after not using power and feeding it into the grid all winter], he should have a substantial credit on his bill to start off the summer…"- MacDonald, Maine governor’s wind energy task force: "I think [small wind turbines are] a good thing…It's happening right now. People are looking for alternatives…"

OPEC GOES GREEN?

The theme of OPEC’s recent 2-day summit: "Providing petroleum, promoting prosperity and protecting the environment." (Really.) During the proceedings, OPEC came out advocating carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).

Here’s the question: Who do these guys think they are fooling besides themselves? They apparently assume that any capture of coal plant emissions will free consumers to spew more from their tailpipes. But if the marketplace gets a chance to freely act, clean coal and more abundant clean electricity will lead in a straight line to plug-in hybrids and battery-driven vehicles.

Furthermore, there are objections to the process because it has not been shown to capture anywhere near all greenhouse gases (GHGs) generated by burning coal. And there are fears underground storage chambers could rupture and release seriously toxic gases. Finally, diminishing emissions during the burning of coal does nothing to mitigate emissions generated during coal’s mining and transport.

At a different venue, Shell’s chief scientist emphasized CCS’ incompleteness as a technology and the need for further development of it, concluding with a quote from Bob Dylan, perhaps one of the most unusual contexts in which the 60s icon has been quoted: "You don't have to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." (Somebody might want to mention that one to the few remaining climate change deniers.)

WHAT- CCS, more popularly known as “clean” coal, was emphasized as a way of dealing with climate change by leaders at the OPEC summit.- Williams talked about long-term storage logistics, support facilities for sequestration, public acceptance, and consistent regulations for CCS at a Shell-sponsored symposium.

WHEN- The OPEC summit was November 16-17. It was the 3rd summit in OPEC’s 47 years.- Williams statements came November 15.

WHERE- The summit was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Foreign, finance and oil ministers from the 12 member countries attended.- The Shell International Science Symposium: Future Approaches in Subsurface Chemistry and Physics was held in Rijswijk, the Netherlands.- Demonstration CCS projects are currently underway in Canada, Algeria and the North Sea. The US is set to begin a major trial program at locations in Illinois or Texas.

WHY- The discussion of CCS is widely recognized as an important acknowledgement of climate change by the oil-producing nations’ leaders.- CCS is a technology still underdevelopment. It would capture carbon dioxide and other GHG emissions as the coal is burned to make steam turn a turbine to generate electricity. - The captured emissions would be stored harmlessly underground.- The process adds cost to electricity generation and is not yet proven.- Williams asserted that CCS carried with it long-term liabilities for storing, monitoring, and verifying the location and any movement of stored CO2 and insisted governments must be prepared to take these responsibilities, create standards and set up rules.- Williams also talked about the burden of costs CCS brought with it and talked about a need to incorporate the expense into the marketplace.

QUOTES- Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC: “[An OPEC commitment to carbon capture and sequestration would be a] very constructive outcome of the deliberations at the heads of state level…I think the debate here points to a constructive willingness to participate in international dialogue about climate change…" - Ali al-Nuaimi, Saudi Oil Minister: "[OPEC leaders have shown a] recognition that oil is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect, but also a willingness to talk about how oil can be produced and brought to market in a cleaner way." - Williams, chief scientist, Shell: "The world's energy needs could increase by 50% in about 25 years…That is the equivalent of 100 million b/d of oil…We have to have energy security through energy diversity…We're going to have to deal with CO2 and the CO2 footprint…We do have a lot of technology today...but government and society have a key role to play."

TERMITE ENERGY

Until recently, cellulosic ethanol represented the most likely biofuel that would not require more energy to make than it generated. With emerging information about biofuels derived from algae, that has changed.

WHATTermites capacity to digest fiber comes from intestinal enzymes that may point the way to commercial-scale production of cellulosic ethanol. Understanding the genetic sequence of the microbes that produce the enzymes may allow scientists to reproduce the enzymatic processes.

WHEN- Research findings published November 21 in “Nature.”- “First generation” ethanol is produced from well-known enzymatic fermentation and distillation of simple carbohydrates in corn and sugar plants not requiring much cellulose breakdown.- “Second generation” cellulosic ethanol not been produced at commercial scale economically because of the difficulty of breaking down the cellulose.

WHERE- Gene researchers are studying enzymes in the lowest part of termites’ digestive tract, the “third paunch.”.- The researchers are studying bulbous-headed Central American worker termites.

WHY- Microbes in the termites’ intestines exude enzymes capable of releasing nutritional value from the woodiest fibers.- Breaking down wood and woody cellulose fibers in non-food plants at economically competitive cost would allow production of ethanol that would (theoretically) not impact food crops or food crop prices.- The research, though vital, is only a first step.

QUOTES- Andreas Brune, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology: "In theory, [termites] could transform an A4-sized sheet of paper into two liters (1.8 pints) of hydrogen…"- Eddy Rubin, director, Joint Genome Institute (JGI)/US Department of Energy: "Scaling up this process so that biomass factories can produce biofuels more efficiently and economically is another story…To get there, we must define the set of genes with key functional attributes for the breakdown of cellulose and this study represents an essential step along that path."

MEXICO PLANT BOOMS WITH WIND

Maquiladoras have flourished in the post-NAFTA era. Some have been accused of abuses. Here is one that looks like it might be trying to do the right thing, providing state-of-the-art blade manufacturing for wind turbines and amenable conditions for its workers.

The new plant described in this post broke ground March 12 and started production October 18. Could that have happened on the Texas side of the border?

WHATVienTek LLC makes wind turbine blades for Mitsubishi. With the boom in the wind energy industry, VienTek’s business has expanded so much it has just opened a 2nd plant, VienTek II.

WHEN- According to the Department of Energy, wind energy is the fastest-growing energy technology, expanding 30% to 40% yearly. It is still only a little more than 1% of US electricity.- VienTek opened in 2002 and has since made 4000+ blades.

WHERE- VienTek is in Juarez, Mexico. It is a joint venture between TPI Composites Inc. (Rhode Island) and Mitsubishi Power Systems (U.S. headquarters in Florida).- Blades are shipped out of Santa Teresa, not El Paso.

WHY- VienTek II adds 131,000 square feet to existing manufacturing space of 346,000 square feet. - At full capacity, VienTek II will have 10 production lines of 44.7-meter and 46.2-meter 5 to 10 ton blades for new Mitsubishi 2.4-megawatt turbines. The old 29.5-meter blades were for 1-megawatt turbines.- 900 employees, mostly men, laying fiberglass and resin into giant molds. They use a patented form of vacuum infusion to pour the resin.- 176 new employees were recruited in 3 days last September. Training takes 2 weeks in a designated “training school” area of the plant. There is also a gym and a soccer field on the property.

QUOTES- Cochrane, VienTek GM: “[VienTek II was] designed with some foresight on what the next generation (of blades) might be -- taller, wider, longer…" - Norberto Perea, VienTek human-resource manager: "…we didn't have any problem (recruiting) because right now VienTek has a good reputation in the community and people want to work for us…"

Monday, November 26, 2007

TURBINES SPOIL THE VIEW?

Those who oppose wind installations on aesthetic grounds must simply not know what strip mining and mountaintop removal mining for coal look like. They must not know what sludge-filled water below the mines looks like. They must not know what the brown haze over an urban landscape looks like, let alone what it does to the lungs of those living there.

The bottom line: We need electricity. We all depend on it being there when we flip the switch. But as Mr. Tsipouridis of the Hellenic Wind Energy Association says below, “We’re living in the most polluted era of humanity…it’s sheer hypocrisy to spend so much time talking about wind turbines’ noise and aesthetics.”

Fears about the noise from wind turbines are outdated. AUniversity Of Massachusetts, Amherst, studythoroughly established their safety when properly sited. It has been legally proven that a normal conversation can be held at the base of a big turbine. Most other fears are either equally groundless or would be prevented by careful siting.

WHATLocalities from New Hampshire to the Greek islands are opposing wind turbine installations for aesthetic reasons. There are also irrational, uninformed and unsubstantiated fears of noise and other dangers.

WHENThe spread of wind installations into European localities is driven by the EU goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions 20% by 2020.

WHEREThe Greek island of Serifos, rural New Hampshire, the rural northeastern English county of Northumberland, Britain’s Isle of Skye, western Scotland

WHY- The objection in the Greek islands is that the installation would destroy tourism by destroying the islands’ ambience. Greece has much less wind energy than most of the rest of Europe and gets 17% of its income from tourism. Greece gets much of its electricity from the dirtiest of coals and some see it losing tourism due to smog.- Spain obtains 12% of its electricity from wind and has suffered no noticeable loss of tourism.- The objection in Northumberland is that the turbines would especially ruin the view by contrasting harmfully with local castles and might, as well, do harm to historic sites when being installed. Rigorous siting procedures carefully protect against this. The 89-mile Kintyre Way hiking trail in western Scotland has a 9-turbine wind farm and views of others but remains popular.- People in tourism on Britain’s Isle of Skye welcome the installations and say they don’t intrude.

QUOTES- Mayor Synodinou: “No one would come here…Our island would be destroyed.”- Linowes, Industrial Wind Action Group, on opposition to turbines: “These are not just one or two turbines spinning majestically in the blue sky and billowing clouds…”- Catalina Robledo, analyst, Emerging Energy Research: “…people are afraid that there will be these humongous wind parks that will block the sunset…”- John Ferguson, Save Our Unspoilt Landscape (S.O.U.L.), Northumberland: “The eyes are constantly drawn to them…”- Danter, tourism business, Isle of Skye: “There’s still a feeling that the west coast of Scotland offers something authentic and real…and people don’t want to lose that.” - Jason Ormiston, CEO, Scottish Renewables: “Wind parks can be elegant and inviting…” - Nikos Charalambidis, director, Greenpeace Greece: “If the climate gets worse here, tourists will vanish and not come back…” - Tsipouridis, Hellenic Wind Energy Association: “We’re living in the most polluted era of humanity…it’s sheer hypocrisy to spend so much time talking about wind turbines’ noise and aesthetics.”

CARBON CAPTURE: READING BETWEEN THE LINES

The folks in Tulsa are justifiably happy to learn their local power plant will be capturing 1.5 million tons of CO2 for pumping back into slow wells to enhance oil recovery (EOR). It no doubt means a potential boon to the region’s slowing oil industry. Oil and gas account for $1 billion in Oklahoma tax revenues, though average well production is down to 3 barrels/day.

Here’s the thing: According tothe new CARMA database, the two-unit Oklahoma plant produces 5.7+ million tons of CO2 every year so they’re only capturing a quarter of the total spew. And when the CO2 gets pumped back into the oil wells, it’s not just going to stay down there. It’s got to either come back up as gas, mix with the oil and come out in the refining process or leech into the soil.

The point: Enhanced recovery may be good for the oil industry but “clean coal” still sounds like an oxymoron to NewEnergyNews.

WHATAEP/PSC will sell captured CO2 to SemGreen for pumping into slowing oil wells to enhance recovery.

WHEN- A memorandum of understanding between AEP/PSC and SemGroup LP was signed in October to do the project.- The capture technology is expected to be installed and operational by 2012.

WHERE- The power plant is the Northeastern Station in Oologah, Oklahoma.- AEP is based in Columbus, Ohio.- This is reportedly the largest project of its kind in the US.

WHY- Primary olil well recovery, from the natural pressure released by drilling, gets 10% of a well’s oil. Secondary recovery from pumping in water gets up the total up to 40% of the well’s oil. Tertiary recovery, pumping in CO2 to lower the remaining substance’s viscosity, gets the total up to 60%. But previous sources of CO2 for EOR have been expensive.- It is hoped the sale of the inexpensive captured CO2 for reuse will provide a revenue stream to fund the capture technology installation.- AEP is one of the biggest CO2 emitters in the US and 7th biggest in the world.

QUOTES- Stuart Solomon, president/coo, AEP-PSO: "This is the kind of technology that will allow coal power plants to operate into the future…"- Pat Hemlepp, spokesman, AEP: "Carbon capture is going to be an expensive proposition…Anything that we can do to reduce the cost to our customers is beneficial to us and our customers."- Greg West, vp, EOR practitioners Sandridge Energy: "The primary reason that it isn't widely used is that there hasn't been a reasonably priced source…"

ENERGY STAR: EVEN BETTER

Want to do something for the household and the environment by way of gifting this holiday season? Maybe upgrading to an Energy Star appliance would be just the thing. Just remember to recycle the old appliances. (Via a quickGoogle search. Or clickhere.)

WHATThe big yellow Energy Star labels on appliances promise efficiency and savings but UNDER estimate the energy savings most consumers gain when they trade in older appliances for newer, more efficient ones. A new model is likely to cut the utility bill enough to pay for itself in just a few years.

WHENThe label promises a 2007 Energy Star refrigerator will use 15% less power than a standard model. A 2007 Energy Star 18-cubic foot model saves 30% on the power consumption of a 14-year old 1993 model, 54% less than a 1989 model and 81% less than the a not uncommon 1975 model.

WHERE- In areas where drought is a consideration, using a dishwasher is a huge benefit.- Older front-loading clothes washers were significantly more efficient than old style top-loaders.

WHY- Most appliances last a long time. The average refrigerator is 14 years old.- Dishwashers save because handwashing uses 27 gallons of water while the appliance uses 5 gallons. Dishwashers cut power use 37% from handwashing.- A new dishwasher cuts water use 33% over a 12-year-old model and reduces energy consumption 29%.- Newer clothes washers come in energy and water efficient front- and top-loading models. Old top-loaders used the least efficient central agitator while new top-loaders use a wash plate and front-loaders still tumble the clothing in a turning basket.- A 2007 Energy Star conventional top-loading clothes washer is 40% more efficient and uses 25% less water than a 1995 model. The 2007 Energy star wash-plate top-loader is 60% more efficient and uses 30% less water. The front-loader is 75% more efficient and uses 60% les water.- Newer clothes washers have race car-high spin speeds.

QUOTESSalant, Washington Post: “Trading in your old beauty for a new Energy Star model would make such a dent in your utility bill that the new one could pay for itself in one or two years. When I replaced my 24-year-old side-by-side refrigerator three years ago, my monthly electric bill went down by $100.”

WHATDresselhaus and co-researchers are developing thermoelectric materials based on the principle of thermoelectric cooling and heating: certain materials, when heated, generate electrical voltage. When voltage is applied to them, they become hotter on one side, colder on the other.

WHEN- The research is based on a principle first discovered in the early 19th century and advanced in the 1960s by Gray and others. - Dresselhaus and colleagues did work for the Navy in the 1990s to more quietly cool submarines.- 2006: The thermoelectric carseat sold 1 million units - Dresselhaus and colleagues are now developing nanotech applications. She will present her work Nov. 26 at the annual Materials Research Society meeting in Boston.

WHEREA thermoelectric material presently is used in car seats to cool passengers and spare auto air conditioning demands. Uses are foreseen in car engines, photovoltaic cells and electronic devices.

WHY- The process works with a variety of materials and especially well with semiconductors (the material used in computer chips and photovoltaic (solar) panels.- Dresselhaus breakthrough: Thermoelectric materials had been inefficient. The charge quickly passed through the material, heating the material uniformly. The temp differential and insulating effect were lost. The Dresselhaus team is embedding obstacles (nanoscale particles, wires or patterns) in semiconductors to impede the flow of current and sustain the temp differential.- By embedding the obstacles in computer chips or solar panels, temperatures can be controlled, making functions more efficient.- In cars, if the engine’s heat can be translated into electricity, that power can be incorporated.- In solar arrays, if the temperatures of the panels can be turned into electricity, it would the system’s output.- Dresselhaus and colleagues, now sponsored by NASA, are working with semiconductor materials and nanostructures like superlattices and quantum dots.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

BRIT GREEN LEADER’S YULETIDE TIPS

“Believe it or not, I do love Christmas. It’s the only time of the year where my voicemail and inbox calm down and I can spend a few days eating, drinking and playing board games with my sisters and family without a bulging ‘to do’ list nagging at the back of my mind. At its simplest as a family get-together, Christmas is a joy, but it’s so easy to let things get out of hand during the run-in and be swept away in a consumer frenzy that – needless to say – can have a terrible effect on the planet.” ...Sian Berry, British Green Party

WHATA Green Brit offers tips for a sustainable holiday: “What started out as a simple trip to church and a big meal now lasts about nine weeks and involves buying more and more every year… Each of us receives around £90 worth of unwanted presents each year, and over a third of the food we buy is thrown away uneaten by twelfth night.”

WHEN“It’s far too early to start talking about Christmas, but I’m afraid I have no choice. Improbably snow-bound English villages, 'seasonal' recipes for prawns and this year’s must-have gadgets, are cluttering up every advert break. So, as I too have already been out recording ‘Green Christmas’ specials for the TV, and have been doing my research, I thought I would strike back early too.”

WHEREA Londoner offers tips to Londoners the world over: “A typical Christmas dinner these days can contain ingredients that have been transported over 30,000 miles, but it’s really easy to cut this down simply by picking local products off the shelf instead of far-flung alternatives: hazels rather than brazil nuts, English beer rather than Australian wine, local ham instead of Indonesian prawns…The original midwinter festival involved a feast of seasonal produce, embellished with preserved items from earlier in the year, so root vegetables, cabbages, sprouts, dried fruit, nuts, local cheeses and chutneys are all real traditional low-carbon fare… Visit your local market for a real bargain on the rest of the meal, compared with overpriced supermarket vegetables. You’ll be supporting your local economy, plus, if it’s unpackaged, you can buy just the amount you need and won’t end up throwing half of it away.”

WHY- “Moving on to presents, as we must. Let’s start by ruling out pointless gadgets…No golf ball polishers, no coffee machines that need an endless supply of little plastic cartridges, no choppers, heaters or mixers…no attic fodder at all…get non-material gifts: something useful like tickets to an event, vouchers for meals, downloads or books, or membership of an organisation such as the National Trust or the RSPB.”- “If you feel obliged to get something that won’t fit in an envelope, use gift-giving as an excuse to introduce your friends and family to green stuff. Basics that everyone needs are best. Get bamboo t-shirts, hemp socks, quality recycled notebooks, local organic foodstuffs or non-polluting shower gel, and make sure they know where to buy replacements when they find they love them…” - “At the end of the season, make sure everything is recycled. We create three million tonnes of extra waste over the Christmas period and use over 250,000 trees’ worth of wrapping paper, so buying recycled and putting everything from the Christmas tree to your sprout peelings in the recycling box or the compost bin is essential.”

QUOTESBerry: “…for twenty-four hours [on the first shopping day] take a break from shopping, put that Christmas list aside, take your life back and buy nothing at all in a celebration of non-consumerism…having a ‘perfect’ Christmas doesn’t involve going crazy and consuming everything in sight…having a ‘green’ Christmas doesn’t involve shivering around a candle in fingerless gloves for a fortnight. Just don’t forget to shun those prawns!”

Plug-in Hybrids: The Cars that will ReCharge America by Sherry Boschert: "Smart companies plan ahead and try to be the first to adopt new technology that will give them a competitive advantage. That’s what Toyota and Honda did with hybrids, and now they’re sitting pretty. Whichever company is first to bring a good plug-in hybrid to market will not only change their fortune but change the world."

Oil On The Brain; Adventures from the Pump to the Pipeline by Lisa Margonelli: "Spills are one of the costs of oil consumption that don’t appear at the pump. [Oil consultant Dagmar Schmidt Erkin]’s data shows that 120 million gallons of oil were spilled in inland waters between 1985 and 2003. From that she calculates that between 1980 and 2003, pipelines spilled 27 gallons of oil for every billion “ton miles” of oil they transported, while barges and tankers spilled around 15 gallons and trucks spilled 37 gallons. (A ton of oil is 294 gallons. If you ship a ton of oil for one mile you have one ton mile.) Right now the United States ships about 900 billion ton miles of oil and oil products per year."

NOTEWORTHY IN THE MEDIA:
NewEnergyNews would welcome any media-saavy volunteer who would like to re-develop this section of the page. Announcements and reviews of film, television, radio and music related to energy and environmental issues are welcome.

Review of OIL IN THEIR BLOOD, The American Decades by Mark S. Friedman

OIL IN THEIR BLOOD, The American Decades, the second volume of Herman K. Trabish’s retelling of oil’s history in fiction, picks up where the first book in the series, OIL IN THEIR BLOOD, The Story of Our Addiction, left off. The new book is an engrossing, informative and entertaining tale of the Roaring 20s, World War II and the Cold War. You don’t have to know anything about the first historical fiction’s adventures set between the Civil War, when oil became a major commodity, and World War I, when it became a vital commodity, to enjoy this new chronicle of the U.S. emergence as a world superpower and a world oil power.

As the new book opens, Lefash, a minor character in the first book, witnesses the role Big Oil played in designing the post-Great War world at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. Unjustly implicated in a murder perpetrated by Big Oil agents, LeFash takes the name Livingstone and flees to the U.S. to clear himself. Livingstone’s quest leads him through Babe Ruth’s New York City and Al Capone’s Chicago into oil boom Oklahoma. Stymied by oil and circumstance, Livingstone marries, has a son and eventually, surprisingly, resolves his grievances with the murderer and with oil.

In the new novel’s second episode the oil-and-auto-industry dynasty from the first book re-emerges in the charismatic person of Victoria Wade Bridger, “the woman everybody loved.” Victoria meets Saudi dynasty founder Ibn Saud, spies for the State Department in the Vichy embassy in Washington, D.C., and – for profound and moving personal reasons – accepts a mission into the heart of Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe. Underlying all Victoria’s travels is the struggle between the allies and axis for control of the crucial oil resources that drove World War II.

As the Cold War begins, the novel’s third episode recounts the historic 1951 moment when Britain’s MI-6 handed off its operations in Iran to the CIA, marking the end to Britain’s dark manipulations and the beginning of the same work by the CIA. But in Trabish’s telling, the covert overthrow of Mossadeq in favor of the ill-fated Shah becomes a compelling romance and a melodramatic homage to the iconic “Casablanca” of Bogart and Bergman.

Monty Livingstone, veteran of an oil field youth, European WWII combat and a star-crossed post-war Berlin affair with a Russian female soldier, comes to 1951 Iran working for a U.S. oil company. He re-encounters his lost Russian love, now a Soviet agent helping prop up Mossadeq and extend Mother Russia’s Iranian oil ambitions. The reunited lovers are caught in a web of political, religious and Cold War forces until oil and power merge to restore the Shah to his future fate. The romance ends satisfyingly, America and the Soviet Union are the only forces left on the world stage and ambiguity is resolved with the answer so many of Trabish’s characters ultimately turn to: Oil.

Commenting on a recent National Petroleum Council report calling for government subsidies of the fossil fuels industries, a distinguished scholar said, “It appears that the whole report buys these dubious arguments that the consumer of energy is somehow stupid about energy…” Trabish’s great and important accomplishment is that you cannot read his emotionally engaging and informative tall tales and remain that stupid energy consumer. With our world rushing headlong toward Peak Oil and epic climate change, the OIL IN THEIR BLOOD series is a timely service as well as a consummate literary performance.

Review of OIL IN THEIR BLOOD, The Story of Our Addiction by Mark S. Friedman

"...ours is a culture of energy illiterates." (Paul Roberts, THE END OF OIL)

OIL IN THEIR BLOOD, a superb new historical fiction by Herman K. Trabish, addresses our energy illiteracy by putting the development of our addiction into a story about real people, giving readers a chance to think about how our addiction happened. Trabish's style is fine, straightforward storytelling and he tells his stories through his characters.

The book is the answer an oil family's matriarch gives to an interviewer who asks her to pass judgment on the industry. Like history itself, it is easier to tell stories about the oil industry than to judge it. She and Trabish let readers come to their own conclusions.

She begins by telling the story of her parents in post-Civil War western Pennsylvania, when oil became big business. This part of the story is like a John Ford western and its characters are classic American melodramatic heroes, heroines and villains.

In Part II, the matriarch tells the tragic story of the second generation and reveals how she came to be part of the tales. We see oil become an international commodity, traded on Wall Street and sought from London to Baku to Mesopotamia to Borneo. A baseball subplot compares the growth of the oil business to the growth of baseball, a fascinating reflection of our current president's personal career.

There is an unforgettable image near the center of the story: International oil entrepreneurs talk on a Baku street. This is Trabish at his best, portraying good men doing bad and bad men doing good, all laying plans for wealth and power in the muddy, oily alley of a tiny ancient town in the middle of everywhere. Because Part I was about triumphant American heroes, the tragedy here is entirely unexpected, despite Trabish's repeated allusions to other stories (Casey At The Bat, Hamlet) that do not end well.

In the final section, World War I looms. Baseball takes a back seat to early auto racing and oil-fueled modernity explodes. Love struggles with lust. A cavalry troop collides with an army truck. Here, Trabish has more than tragedy in mind. His lonely, confused young protagonist moves through the horrible destruction of the Romanian oilfields only to suffer worse and worse horrors, until--unexpectedly--he finds something, something a reviewer cannot reveal. Finally, the question of oil must be settled, so the oil industry comes back into the story in a way that is beyond good and bad, beyond melodrama and tragedy.

Along the way, Trabish gives readers a greater awareness of oil and how we became addicted to it. Awareness, Paul Roberts said in THE END OF OIL, "...may be the first tentative step toward building a more sustainable energy economy. Or it may simply mean that when our energy system does begin to fail, and we begin to lose everything that energy once supplied, we won't be so surprised."

FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.